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Sunday, 2 August 2009

As reported in the Mail on Sunday this week, a man died in 18in of water as 999 teams were told it was too risky to rescue him. You would be forgiven for thinking this was some sick joke, but unfortunately, it is not. The full story can be read online.

Whatever the details of this case, it is clear that Health and Safety regulations need to be addressed. In this particular case, a man died as a direct result of Health and Safety. These are the regulations that are supposed to protect people from harm, not put their lives at risk. If the emergency services turn up to an accident scene, and then need to discuss and agree what action (if any) they will take, then clearly something is amiss. If a man is face down in a ditch, you help them, simple as that. The right and wrongs and bureaucracy can be discussed at a later date.

This is not the first time Health and Safety has been blamed for a death either. A teenager died recently when they got into difficulty when they attempted to swim in a local lake. The Community Support Police Officers that turned up refused to help as they deemed it too risky, and in breach of Health and Safety regulations.

Human beings should help each other whenever they can, and if Health and Safety bureaucracy prevents them from doing that, then clearly the regulations require immediate reviewing.